A blank wall says that nothing happens here. Paint the same wall in large fields of colour and the street suddenly has a landmark.
Big shapes read from far away
The walls that work best use a few large shapes rather than many small details. They read from a moving car and from the far end of the street.
Maintenance is part of the design
A painted wall needs repainting. Streets that plan for it keep their colour; the others fade back to grey in five years.
